Fant rant of the day: Liverpool’s loss to Man City might have been soul-crushing but there is nothing to worry about

It had to happen sooner or later, after all, going a Premier League season unbeaten is incredibly difficult. Arsenal achieved it more than a decade ago, but things are tougher for Liverpool now.

Let’s forget about that invincibility tag for now and focus on the loss to Manchester City. The Reds have seen their lead cut down to four points, though it could have been 10, had we won.

Manchester City celebrated at the end of the final whistle like they had won the Champions League, something that Pep Guardiola is yet to do with them, but Liverpool have more about them this season.

The Reds might have been second best in the scoreline but we were more than a match for City, and still hold the cards for the remainder of the season.

Liverpool could have easily won at the Etihad

We were close to scoring the opening goal of the game and had that gone in, things would have been different. In fact, once Jurgen Klopp shifted from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1, we were in the ascendancy and scored via Roberto Firmino.

There was a mad scramble late on as we looked for the second equaliser, and Ederson had to come up trumps to deny Mohamed Salah.

Roberto Firmino and Andy Robertson

Manchester City didn’t hammer us, they didn’t destroy us, they barely made a dent in our side and got two goals from our mistakes.

Liverpool didn’t capitulate to a 5-0 loss like last season, and that bodes well as we look to restart our winning run.

Liverpool can concentrate on the season

The loss also meant that tag of going unbeaten went off our list, and now we can concentrate on the season. Klopp has to take it one game at a time, and that has worked well for us so far.

Losing to City wasn’t a big tragedy and we still hold a four-point lead over them. We don’t need to go unbeaten and try to do an Arsenal, what we need to do is win the Premier League.

The Reds have been wonderful for 21 games, and having just one loss to the tally isn’t a bad record. Liverpool will drop points, there is no doubting that for the rest of the season, and getting the first Premier League loss in should provide more motivation to do well for the rest of the campaign.

Easy fixtures coming up

The Reds don’t have the most testing fixtures over the next 30 days or so. Brighton, Crystal Palace, Leicester City, West Ham and Bournemouth are our next five Premier League opponents, and we should be targeting 12-13 points easily from these clashes.

Manchester City have a truckload of games due to their Carabao Cup commitments, and there is more than a chance of us extending our lead over the next five ties.

Even if we don’t play to our best, we should remain unbeaten over these five games. The FA Cup tie against Wolverhampton Wanderers is a bit of a distraction, but we should play the kids and not think about the cup too much this season.

The Reds also have a pretty strong team when it comes to depth, and our options in midfield should be enough to continue our development for the rest of the season.

Georginio Wijnaldum and Sadio Mane

There is a belief in this side that hasn’t been seen in the Premier League years, and Klopp has to provided credit for that.

Bad news for Liverpool? Gary Neville claims Man City will have this advantage over the Reds during next two Premier League match days

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville claims that Manchester City have an advantage over Liverpool in the next two rounds of the Premier League.

The Reds played before City in the last weekend and piled on the pressure after defeating Crystal Palace. City made light work of Huddersfield and will play before the Reds after the FA Cup and Carabao Cup games.

Neville was speaking to Sky Sports (h/t Express) and claimed playing first was preferable:

“[It makes] a big difference.

“It’s preferable.”

The Sky Sports pundit further claimed that during his playing days at United, the team felt playing first was an advantage. Getting the points first before their rivals was always preferred, according to Neville, and he believed City will put the pressure on Liverpool.

“Either go further in front or close the gap. There’s no doubt it’s a different type of pressure.

“City will absolutely want to be closing that gap to one point, and asking Liverpool have they got it in them to stand the pressure of playing the day after or two days after.”

Liverpool players celebrate a win

City play Newcastle away a day before we host Leicester City. Pep Guardiola’s men then host Arsenal a day prior to us travelling to West Ham United.

The Premier League champions can cut the lead to just one point before we face Leicester, and it will be important for us to respond in the perfect manner, irrespective of City’s result.

Looking good out there. Seems like the club have been doing a fantastic job with getting him back to fitness at the right pace (which is somehow still faster than expected). Probably help that Ox has such a great attitude and determination to get back on the pitch.

Van Dijk is one of the best defenders in the world and has helped the Reds to the top of the Premier League.

The Dutchman joined the Reds from Southampton last year and told Liverpoolfc.com about spoke about the King being open with Van Dijk:

“Kenny Dalglish gave me his mobile number in the very beginning and told me to ring him at any time.

“It is unbelievable when he sometimes sends me messages before games. That is what Liverpool is about.”

The defender added that on match-days he gets to meet many legends and learn more about the club’s history.

The Dutch defender has possibly been the best player for the Reds this season, and could reach legendary status, just like Kenny if he keeps doing the job at the back.

It isn’t just Van Dijk who has been great, the rest of the Liverpool back-four has been fantastic in most games. The Dutchman is an incredible presence at the back, and he seems to make players better if they play alongside him.

The Reds have one of the best defences in Europe, and should we keep things tight at the back, there is a chance of winning silverware under Jurgen Klopp.